The Islanders’ 5-13-2 finish to 2007-08 included DiPietro undergoing hip surgery and having to miss the final nine games. Since then, DiPietro has also had problems with both knees, his groin, and suffered facial fractures and a concussion in a 2011 fight with Penguins goalie Brent Johnson. Over the past four seasons, DiPietro has played 47 games and his name has become synonymous with bad luck in the NHL.

How bad has that luck been? The Islanders activated DiPietro from injured reserve in August, and six weeks later the NHL shut itself down for four months.

“It’s not a secret that I’ve been hurt here for the last couple of years and haven’t gotten as much of a chance to play as I’d like to,” DiPietro told Sporting News on Tuesday. “I’m like a kid waiting for Christmas.”

DiPietro did some of his waiting in Europe, where he stayed in shape by practicing with SC Riessersee, the last-place team in the German second division. He played one game for his temporary club, giving up three goals in a 4-1 loss to the Landshut Cannibals on Oct. 14. It was his only professional game of 2012, but the experience was about much more than the odd line of one game in Germany among his career statistics.

“It wasn’t just having games, but organized practices,” DiPietro said. “I think, mentally, that was more important than anything. Physically… I feel great. I’ve had such extensive surgeries, they say it takes a couple of years after that serious of surgery to actually feel back to yourself. I think a lot of the stuff was me rushing back too soon, or just having other stuff go wrong because you compensate for surgery that really hadn’t quite yet come back all the way. I’ve had some time off to get ready and get prepared, and I’m looking forward to it.”

While he was working as part of the NHLPA’s negotiating team last week, through marathon bargaining sessions, DiPietro still made sure to wake up early, get to the rink, and do his training. He knows that the shortened season means the Islanders have a better chance at making the playoffs, and he feels that, working in tandem with veteran Evgeni Nabokov, he can get back to the level that once made him the starting goalie for the 2006 U.S. Olympic team. At 31, DiPietro is still right in his prime from an age perspective.

“That’s the goal,” DiPietro said. “If I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t be here. Otherwise, it would be a waste. I’m confident with how my body feels now and my ability to be smarter. Older and smarter. I’m not stupid. You can’t have everything fixed by the doctors, which I’ve learned the hard way, and it’s a fact of life. I’m bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to rock and roll. … It’s going to be all about having a solid start and not having an extended losing streak. That will keep you where you want to be through the 48 games.”

Even if it takes beyond this season to recapture his old form, DiPietro still has eight more to go on the 15-year, $67.5 million contract he signed before the 2006-07 season. That contract is almost as notorious as DiPietro’s medical records, but at $4.5 million annually, DiPietro actually could turn out to be a bargain if he can fashion a successful second act in his Islanders career.

Interestingly enough, given all the furor during CBA negotiations over back-diving contracts, there is nothing complicated about DiPietro’s deal. It pays $4.5 million this year, just like it did in 2006-07 and just like it will in 2020-21.

“I give Charles (Wang, the Islanders’ owner) all the credit for that,” DiPietro said. “When we talked about the deal, we looked at it as a positive. There might be years where I was overpaid, there might years where I was underpaid. At the end of the day, it was a nice average salary over a certain amount of years. I showed them that I wanted to be an Islander for life, and they felt the same way. I don’t regret it at all. I’ve loved every minute of it, and I can’t wait to start competing again.”